Get Ready to Robo-Rumble With This Giant Fightin' Mech
Meet Mark. At 16 feet tall and 12 tons, Mark was built by Gui Cavalcanti and Matt Oehrlein to do one thing: destroy other machines. The two engineers are the founders of MegaBots, a startup almost as absurd as it is destructive. The company plans to stage bouts between piloted death mechs in an international fighting-robot league that promises to be a sort of Monster Trucks meets Pacific Rim.
This iron giant (official name: Mk. III) is a metallic menace. “We’re designing robots to be badass and entertaining,” says MegaBots CEO and Boston Dynamics alum Cavalcanti. “Oh, and we would like to not die in the robot.” The first fight, between Mk. III and a mech named Kuratas, built by Japan’s Suidobashi Heavy Industry, is slated for late August in an as-yet undisclosed location. Missiles and projectiles are out for this match, so expect furious hand-to-hand combat. It should be a smashing success.
Arms
Mark can carry more than 2,000 pounds and can perform complex tasks—such as swinging a car 10 feet in the air.
Weapons
The bot has an interchangeable arsenal for mauling enemy metal while looking totally Gundam. Some favorites: a circular saw and a drill auger.
Legs
Tank treads serve as feet, and the whole bottom half is driven by a 430-horsepower engine.
Cockpit
The safety cage is surrounded by metal armor plating and bulletproof glass, with a rubber damping system to reduce the shock of impacts.
This article appears in the August issue. Subscribe now.
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